WELCOME TO OUR ADVENTURES
from 2008
...stories, artwork and photos from our kayak adventures...
January 1-10:
We are on the West coast of Florida, south of Sarasota, where there are
a number of fantastic destinations for kyaking and that is exactly what
we got busy doing. Since we are staying on the intercoastal between
Englewood and Manasota Key, we have immediate access to the water. We
grab the fishing poles and pack the kayak with gear, beer and bait. The
other boat is a surf ski which is pure paddling until stabilized and
then fishing is possible from this boat, if you have really good
balance. So, the intercoastal becomes our backyard for the duration of
our time in Florida. Meanwhile, we take side trips to a few
destinations we had in mind. One is Grand Tours located in Placida,
just 15 minutes south of old Englewood. We have been to Grand Tours
before and enjoyed their rentals. We arrive and do not hesitate to ask
where the wildlife could be found and we are advised that there are
some White Pelicans around the bend along with Osprey. We boogied out
to the site and sure enough took some great shots of the local wildlife.
Another side trip we were really looking forward to was the Myakka River in Myakka State Park
located East of Sarasota. A magnificent park with lots to do; kayaking,
bird watching, fishing, camping and site seeing by air boat. We rent a
set of kayaks and embark. We immediately see the most wonderful shore
birds who are busy feeding on the banks of the fresh water river. A
Roseate Spoonbill is the first species we come upon and we are stoked!
As we move down the river it's a panoply of birds: Snowy Egrets, Glossy
Ibis, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron,
Tricolored Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Piping Plover, Wood Stork, Red
Shouldered Hawk, Vulture, Painted Turtle, Osprey and even a Limpkin!
Roseate Spoonbill
We
seriously had no idea we would have such a rich experience and I
haven't even mentioned the 12' aligator perched at a point along the
way (see picture on home page). I highly recommend this trip to anyone
interested in this kind of wildlife and beauty. I will never forget
this trip and even said it was one of the best things I had ever done! We will have a slide show available of these images coming soon.
Englewood,
Florida was just voted #3 for places to visit in the United States and
I can tell you, while it is a sleepy town, the beaches and waterways
are exquisite.
A Great Egret in flight at Mayakka State park
Our
final side trip is from Manasota Key Road where we find a new kayak
vendor. Our goal is to paddle south to Stump Pass, our very favorite
peninsula off of Manasota Key, where dolphin often play and the beaches
a littered with old mangrove stumps which are beautiful and exotic.
These particular beaches are well-known for collecting shark teeth and
sea shells. There is very little, if any, sea glass here and drift wood
is well-anchored into the sand and immobile. Well, we get our kayacks
and realize we have quite a south wind in our faces, could have been
close to 20 mph. We paddle gingerly along the coast as we work our way
along the waterway towards "ski alley" leading out to Stump Pass, which
is the opening to the Gulf and where lots of boat traffic moves
through. We arrive at the destination in 2 hours and gratefully pull up
on shore and break out the fishing poles. We are using fresh bait
consisting of live shrimp. We site dolphin and
just relax into the day. We collect shells and take photographs to
document our trip before getting back into the kayaks. As we prepare to
depart, I hit a snag with the current and some unexpected waves, my
boat turns 3/4 of the way over, spilling most of my belongings,
including a beautiful reel and pole, which doesn't float, into the
aquamarine water. While saving the camera, I loose the pole, it is
gone, without me realizing. I search and search because the water is
clear for 10' but I am unsuccessful. We get back in the boats and are
literally pulled down ski alley, by the current, back to our point of
origin, taking only an hour to return.
The moral of the story is be sure that you secure all your equipment with all the bungies on the boat and use dry bags for your personal items.
After
10 days of sun and fun, we are completely fulfilled by our adventures.
It is so great to be able to experience your passion anywhere you go
and we keep adding elements to our kayak trips. This time it is bird
and wildlife photography, an unexpected element to the story and a great beginning to a new year!
December
30: WOW!! It's the end of 2008 and what a great year it has been. We
are getting into the coldest part of the year now and in fact we are
expecting 3" of new snow tonight and then frigid winter air on New
Year's Eve. Reflections of 2008 include coming to the realization that
less is more and that we are so lucky to be living on the river
complete with sunrises, tides, kayaks, the MOON, annoying geese, red
tail hawks, pudgy squirrels, bluejays, cardinals, autumn leaves,
chipmunks, amazing river glass, and sunsets over the Tappan Zee Bridge.
"Sneden's Landing" handmade sign with pottery shards
We
had the unique opportunity to place our eco-ornaments in a local
gallery store in Piermont, "Outside In Piermont," where Joe and Bill do
their thing by providing a space for local artisits to sell their
special pieces. Thanks guys! Other than that and having not much else
to write about except that we are jone-sing to get out on the Hudson,
we are doing some paddling in Florida at the top of the year. We hope
to discover some new waterways and wild life. This will be mostly
focused on the west coast of Florida in places such as Englewood,
Venice, Sarasota, etc. also hoping to get to the Everglades.
Now it is time to take a much needed break and when we come back, get ready...2009 should be packed full of surprises!
THANK YOU FOR VISITING!
Holiday eco-Ornaments
(available for purchase at "The Outside in Piermont")
Shards of river glass strung on hemp string
November
16: Now that the weather is changing we have no choice but to move
inside. Today I took the time to review all the Hudson River glass we
had collected over the summer, it is amazing how much variety of color,
size and quality. River glass that has tumbled for who know how long
made up of cobalt glass and pieces of china with interesting markings
and when we get lucky, a stamp with the company name or origin of the
piece.
Yesterday
as the river was pounding up against the seawall during the high tide a
new "floater" came in. It was a huge battered stump, probably oak. We
fished it out with an oar and it is now safe from another endless
journey on the water.
Today
I continued my work with a dremel and a diamond point which drills a
1/8" hole in a glass shard. I started stringing up the apothecary
bottle tops for holiday ornaments, which look really great on a tree!
Next, I drilled two holes in a piece of glass, which is tricky, and
requires water, a piece of wood and patience. As you drill you need to
be careful not to break the glass while the water keeps things cool. I
purchased some hemp string at the local craft store and began to string
some interesting combos of china chards, glass and old bottle necks.
Great for thepossible winds chimes. I hope to post photos of these
items very soon.
After
taking a break today, I hopped on my mountain bike and took a ride
through Hader Park, a Grandview mountain ridge which runs parallel to
River Road from Nyack to Blauvelt. All along the way you can enjoy a
great view of the Hudson River from a high vantage point. The trail was
covered in leaves and extremely soggy from the rains. Mountain streams
were robust and it was just a great day to take advantage of 50 degree
weather.
I
stopped at "The Outside in Piermont," located on Ferndon Ave. in
Peirmont to say hello to the owner and check out the new installations
of artwork that always impress. What a great shop! It is filled with
original art work by local and non-local folks. Much of it is wood
work, pottery and natural mobiles made with plant product and fall
leaves...just gorgeous art! I was inspired and after spending some time
looking around I was on my way to finish my own eco-art for the holiday
season.
Red Fox Passing Through our property
October
18: This morning as we tinkered around the yard for a while and then we
made a quick trip to Loews for an outdoor fireplace and what we found
was a crazy special on 14' maple trees which we snapped up for $8 a
piece. Upon returning to the property, we planted the tree and noticed
a red fox next door! There he was sunning himself and literally rolling
around in the grass and just hanging out. I took photos of this
creature who looked a bit tattered and worse for wear, he was clearly
looking for sustinence. Concerned neighbors called animal control.
The
weather turned crisp this weekend and there were visible white caps on
the stormy river indicating a strong North wind. Kayaking was not the
first activity that came to mind today. As the day warmed, we decided
to do the off-road bike thing. Heading out River Road, north to Nyack
and beyond, to Upper Nyack, we move along Broadway towards Nyack State
Park and the trails that run along the Hudson River. A great off-road
bike and hike path that eventually leads through the Palisades and ends
in Haverstraw, NY.
About
five miles into the ride, we notice a piece of drift wood, "a floater,"
bobbing near the coastline and moving south with the out-going tide. It
is just out of reach when we climb down the rocks to bring it in, so we
continue our ride without it. Ironic, because had we been in our boats,
we would have captured the driftwood without trying! The cliffs of the
Palisades are bright with color; hawks and bald eagles are circling the
tops for rodents and dead prey and lots of weekend hikers are enjoying
the afternoon.
Upon
our return back along the trail leading out of the State Park, we are
watching for the piece we tried to snag from the river and as we near
the end of the path to exit, we see it! I scamper off my bike and
clamour down the rocky edge, now burrs cover my sweatshirt and pants as
I practically lunge toward the driftwood in view. Yes! It is ours and
we pull it from the water and place it on the handlebars of the bike
and walk it out of the park. It is completely waterlogged and quite
heavy, so we stash it behind a fence in some tall grass to claim it
later with the truck. Once it is dry, we will determine it's fate as a
future art piece.
October
10-11: As I sit on the sea wall overlooking a calm Hudson River this
morning, I am reflecting on the trip to Lewes, DE for the Sea Glass
Festival. It was tremendously informative for us; meeting the experts
at the "Shard ID" tent and Richard LeMott, author of "Pure Sea Glass"
the leading authority on the science of sea glass, collecting and
identifying shards. The individual booths on site with art work and
jewelry were wonderful, but of less interest to us at this juncture
since we are complete "newbies." We are more interested in the
educational aspect of sea glass. Unfortunately, we were unable to
squeeze into the lecture tent as it was standing room only all day on
Saturday.
We
learned about our black glass, milk glass, vaseline glass, a Bennington
marble and finally one of the objects we brought for ID, a 3/4"
diameter ceramic ball with blue coloring and a seam could not be
identified! See image below...from left to right:
Cat Tails on the Hudson
My
overall take-away was that the practice of sea glass collecting has
seen huge growth, indicated by the number of people flocking to this
event. The organizers were seemingly taken by surprise and by 11:00
a.m. on Saturday, the individual meeting rooms at the Virden Center at
the University of Delaware were overflowing.
I say congratulations to the North American Sea Glass Association, a
non-profit organization positively supporting sea glass collectors and
the sea glass community with festivals, information, educational
opportunities, commercial membership and more. Proceeds of the festival
benefit the Ocean Conservancy and The Friends of Cape Henlopen State
Park.
At
$5 per person entrance fee, steps should be taken to increase the entry
fee raising more money for worthy conservational causes.
As
we departed Lewes, we drove onto the ferry taking us back to Cape May
where we jumped onto the Garden State Parkway back to NY State. The
time afforded me a chance to read out-loud Richard's fascinating book,
cover to cover to my co-pilot! This is not just a coffee table book as
one might think by glancing at the cover. The book is filled with
scientific facts about sea glass conditioning and weathering,
collection, the history of bottles, rare colors and more.
We
look forward to another fruitful day on the Hudson collecting drift
wood and glass on the shores of the Palisades and hope to continue into
the winter months when collecting becomes even better! "Coyote" with china shards for teeth
October
5: New friends dropped by to check out our activity today, we loaned
them the double kayak and we launched at 2:30 p.m. on a beautiful and
calm Sunday afternoon. Trekking north we paddled along South Nyack,
past Memorial Park, the Nyack Yacht Club, Peterson's and on to Upper
Nyack where the homes along the river are breathtaking. I shot a few
photos of some examples of these "Gems On The Hudson." a book I
recommend by Terry Talley which chronicles these grand views.
Pulling
out of the boat slip, Peggy and Keith looked psyched (above) for a ride
up the Hudson. We call this "the divorce boat." :)
The
fall day turned out to be phenomenal conditions for our trip. Within an
hour we landed on Nyack Beach at the entrance to the state park where
there are trails for hiking, off-road biking and plenty of fishing off
the rocks along the shore. As we kicked around the beach and spoke to
visitors taking in the autumn sun, it proved to be a relaxing day. On
our way home we watched as a Nyack Boat Club regatta took place and a
47' foot tri-maran could be seen coming about as we made our way south.
Tri-maran on the Hudson
Once
back on shore, we shared a cold beer and were then treated to some very
cool live banjo tunes in our driveway as Keith of the "Stewed Mulligan
& Legendary Woodticks" plucked away! Thanks Keith and Peggy for
visiting!
October
4: Another trip to the coveted Sneden's Landing shoreline where we have
uncovered a plethora of materials from the colonial days including lots
of cobalt glass, apothecary bottle parts and broken china with unique
markings. Antique buttons of all sizes seem to be plentiful. These
are glass or porceline buttons, probably dating back to the early
1900's. Interestingly, glass bottle shards with dates as early as 1899
were collected today. Since we were in no hurry today, we went further
south to Alpine, where we found a site with a huge rope swing and a
steep waterfall gushing off the mountain leading up to Alpine on the
Palisades. It looks like this is a party place for teens and college
students in the summer, perhaps some summer camping takes place here.
As we left, we noticed some hikers already heading up the path to take
in the day.
Hook Mountain, Upper Nyack
Sneden's Landing Home
September
21: One for the books! It is warmer today and we have no particular
schedule to keep us either motivated or determined. "Let's cross the
river to the east side...yah, sounds great!" As we meander along the
bridge, there seems to be more activity than usual, perhaps people are
taking the last few hours of summer to enjoy their boats or perhaps
they are just fed up with all the economic meltdown and they decide to
"live for today" and take their cigarette boat out for an ear
shattering buzz. No matter, it's fun to see some activity as well as
the challenge we are presented, avoid being mistaken for a piece of
drift wood. As we pinball our way across the shipping lane, which runs
under the span of the Tappan Zee, we realize that we have again,
undertaken a massive trek and the lactic acid left in my lats from
yesterday's "sprint" is starting to work itself out. "Just push through
the pain..."
Eventually
we reach the east side of the Hudson, since we have taken a 90 degree
approach and we find ourselves almost directly under the bridge across
from our point of origin. There is a tiny beach where we can see a
downed tree which has years of drift-like qualities, it is magnificent.
We pull up and the tide is starting to bang the shore pretty well, so
the boats need to be pulled way up to the shore and secured. We find
some colored sea glass, but nothing special. As I climb the rocks
positioned next to the Metro North train tracks I see that there is
more great driftwood. I crawl and scrape along the terrain and I spot a
piece that looks like a lion's head and is at leat 10 feet long. I drag
it back to the kayaks and we carefully balance it into the back of the
14' boat, which consequently, I do not have to paddle back across the
river :) "wait" I need to see the other patch of beach around the bend
before we leave.
Not
a terrfic idea because what I find is the CREEPIEST! I begin to notice
bones, white-washed from the sun and water, scattered around what looks
like a place where someone has been doing what, I don't know. I show my
kayak partner. Is it a human bone? I am thinking, as I fantasize about
solving a mob hit. Afterall, this is the Hudson River. I am actually
COLLECTING all the bones I am find; femurs, scapulas, tibia...OH MY
GOD, AM I FREAKING CRAZY?! I get pretty freaked and just as I am
beginning to realize what I am doing, I see a small hoof attached to a
foot-like boney thing. It is either lamb or goat remains...."Let's get
outa here!" I scream. I realize it could be an animal sacrifice, which
is common in certain cultures, but I really don't want any part of it.
So, completely spooked, we jump into the kayaks with the 10' Leo-piece
of driftwood and we start back across the river. Just another day
kayaking on the Hudson!
September
20: One goal today; get to Sneden's Landing and return by 1pm. That
meant we had a total of 3 hours to complete our trip to the historic
little hamlet tucked on the south side of Tallman Sate Park. The
round-trip mileage is approximately 14 miles. The tide is still going
out and we have a little help with the wind at our backs. Fresh and
excited to conquer, we take off with one target in our site, the
Piermont Pier. We cut diagonally from the base of the Tappan Zee Bridge
(west side) and shoot into the middle of the river. No traffic today,
so we are just cruising. As we round the Pier, we are 45 minutes into
the trip and right on schedule. It is an absolutely beautiful 75 degree
day on the last weekend of summer.
South
of the Pier, we begin to notice the tide coming in, it is gradual
though. We veer toward the incredible grove of cattails waving us along
and I snap a few photos that take my breath away. With Sneden's Landing
in in view, I look across the river and there is Dobb's Ferry where a
small ferry used to transfer people back and forth across the river in
the early 19th century. George W, that is, George Washington,
visited Sneden's Landing with Martha. There are only seven properties
on the river and as we reach our destination we pull up to a boat house
that seemingly is vacant for this part of the year. We scramble off the
kayaks and search the beach for treasure. Lots of it! My heart is
banging against my chest... we collect chipped glass, pottery and china
with markings of blues and browns and even a porcelin doll leg which
measures no more than a 1/4 of an inch. Satisfied with our finds and on
a tight schedule we depart and move a bit further south to make sure we
have seen the entire community of Sneden's. I am secretly hoping to see
Bill Murray, Aiden Quinn or Al Pacino, who reside here. Time to go! We
have exactly one hour to get back to the house, the tide is incoming,
thank goodness, and we are literally pulled around the Pier with the
current. What a day!
September
13: A Hudson River trip today with friends who have now gotten a little
bit of the bug to get out onto the water after seeing the unique
treasures and driftwood and hearing the stories of our excursions. This
day we have two singles and a double. It is muggy and overcast.
Hurricane Ike is about to land and the air feels tense. We ease up the
river and survey the homes that don't seem to want to say goodbye to
the summer. Our friend who accompanies us today is visiting from San
Francisco. He grew up here as a boy and he is drinking in all he can of
the memories and smells of the neighborhood where he delivered
newspapers as we begin our paddle along Grand View, South Nyack and
Nyack.
As
we come upon Memorial Park at the base of the town of Nyack, we are
suddenly attracted by a flock of geese in the water just getting ready
for take off as we approach. What keeps our attention is a single goose
who can't seem to get in a take-off position and is water bound. The
right wing just keeps pulling and flapping as if it is broken. As we
watch and wonder, we realize that a fishing line is attached and some
fishermen are standing on the jetty looking clueless, helpless and
guilty. They have hooked the goose with their gear and have absolutely
no idea what to do. We circle our kayaks around the bird, who has now
been abandoned by it's friends and I attempt to untangle the pesky
bird. It puts up quite a fuss and I realize that I cannot do this from
inside my kayak. As I lean over and begin to straddle the seat to get
into the waist high water, I lose my balance and fall backward into the
river. Soaked, I get back to work on the goose still stuck on the
fishing line. I gently unwrap and unhook the bird, who is quite willing
now to let me have my way. Success! The bird is free and I am wet and
somewhat cut up, but not seriously enough to interrupt our fun. My cell
phone is now at the bottom of the river and my loyal friends are
clapping and yelling at the success of the good deed and great
entertainment.
We
paddle on to Nyack Beach, scavenging all along the way, picking up a
colored bead and a few pieces of interesting driftwood. The trip takes
a total of three hours and when we return to our launch in Grand View
we are pleasantly tired and voraciously hungry. Just another day on
the Hudson River...
September
7: It's Monday and I have the bug again, it is a PERFECT day and I just
cannot bring myself to go into the city and sit behind a desk all day.
I decide to exercise my "work life balance" and work from home. After
doing my due diligence, I decide to set out for a little lunchtime
paddle by myself and I bring along my life jacket, of course. I have
this very strange pull to explore the old Village Hall, where we
paddled earlier in the weekend. We come across some items we were not
expecting, such as old glass bottle necks and broken china, even a
green sea glass button. It was intriguing. I set out and stopped first
at the Village Hall that sits on the river, just south of our place and
is in complete disrepair. The river lashes at the base of the building
and wears it away year after year leaving gaping holes in the concrete
pilings holding the building, like a house of cards. Today, I find a
completely unblemished amber medicine bottle, approximately 2 inches
high, but it is worn as if it had been tossed around the river for a
while. With that, I say to myself and then I say it aloud, "I am going
to find something insane"...I am not exactly sure what that meant, but
I had a strange feeling.
I
got back into my kayak and continued south to a new location. Since it
was Monday, in the middle of the day, there weren't too many residents
out and about as there are on a summer weekend. I stop at an overgrown
willow tree which seems to hide a special place. I pull the boat onto
the rocks and steady it. I have my green converse sneakers on which are
perfect for such a hunt on these slimy rocks, which can be treacherous
in the low tide conditions. I begin to say the words again...find
something insane...find something insane... no sooner I find a door,
when I turn it over it is a Sentry safe door. I look not two
feet from the location of the door and I see the actual safe! OK, I am
now shaking in my shoes and I climb up the rocks to the safe and see
that it has clearly been broken open, it is rusted and has been there
for a while. I reach inside and pull out some muck and decomposed
leaves, I of course, expected more, but not this time.
Cobalt glass shards, very large
"Marble" on upper left
I
continue to look around, chanting my mantra. I am finding an oversized
ceramic marble with bits of blue. I imagine it to be a marble from the
Algonquins who lived here. I find large pieces of cobalt-colored
shards, a piece of a cobalt bottle under a rock, the bottle top and
neck of the bottle, it never stops. Now, a piece of Limoge china with
gold leaf along the edges, thick pieces of ceramics with strange
designs, thin necked bottle tops in blues, greens and ambers. I
return home, reluctantly, with a load of treasure and as I wash it and
organize it by color I realize I have again found a reason to hunt
along the Hudson!
August
30: Easthampton, Long Island for the Labor Day weekend with a great
group of friends. We contact Amagansett kyack and bike store and have
them deliver enough boats for six of us. We double up, for the most
part, and while the kayaks weren't really up to par, we made the best
of it and launch into a back bay where vacationers are busy enjoying
the pristine day as well as clamming and crabbing with their dogs. We
paddle gingerly along the shoreline and swampland and sun lustfully,
just enjoying each other's company and watch passing sailboats of all
sizes. As we return to our launch site we see this comical vision
coming towards us...it is a girl in a kayak with a jack russell terrier
perched on the front of the boat, keeping his balance on a piece of old
rug which has been laid down on the bow. What a funny picture I capture
of this girl and her dog, "Sparky".
August
23: SF Bay with the siblings...we launch in just south of China Basin
and find ourselves surrounded by industrial buildings and the Port of
San Francisco signs reminding me of "Dirty Harry" and the old cop
movies. We paddle out into the Bay getting a great view of the Golden
Gate Bridge, many Saturday morning sailboats and tankers sprinkled
around. What a difference from the intimacy of the Hudson River. Camera
in hand, I decide to continue north toward the old Candlestick Park
where the Giants were gearing up to play ball. Kayakers are known to
hang out in the bay and shag balls in the water. My companions quit
early and I still have a lot in me, I was hungry to paddle to
Fisherman's Wharf. My brother wouldn't let me go it alone, so I
acquiese and head into the basin where we access a ramp to pull out. As
I meandered along, not wanting to end the trek, I found a dilapidated
dock and pilings with shore birds and gulls just hanging out having
their day. I snapped some good photos of the birds in their social
interaction , looking like us as we gossip about life. Eventually I
pull onto shore to meet the others.
Thursday, August 21: "It's
my birthday and I'm going to kayak if I want to...!" Yep, took the day
off from work to be on the river and it was by far the most beautiful,
magical day I have experienced since I have lived here. The river was
like a lake, there was no wind, the tide was slack and it was a perfect
80 degrees without a cloud.
It
was our best chance to paddle straight across the river to the other
side and stay under the Tappan Zee Bridge! There was absolutely no
river traffic, including the shipping lane! What a GIFT! We departed at
12 noon and took our lazy time paddling along the bridge, waving to the
Port Authority workers who were busy buffering the decaying bridge
rails. It was too perfect! Once on the other side, we traveled toward
the "Striped Bass" in the Tarrytown Marina where we found an inlet
which we promptly explored. On our way out of the marina, we cleverly
saddled up to the sinking barge on which the Marina sign stood and
collected some choice, sun-drenched pieces of driftwood.
Paddling
north now, we edged the man-made rock jetty-type barriers without being
washed into them due to the lack of any wind conditions and nit-picked
our way along the coast past the lighthouse. Suddenly we saw a bridge
under which another inlet led us into a river stream right around the
Sleepy Hollow area. As we entered the swampy area, we began to notice
some shorebirds, a storky-looking white egret and a smaller bird who
were doing some lunchtime hunting from a barron tree. There was just
enough water so that the kayaks could make it all the way back into the
inlet where we ended at a playground just past the Metro North tracks.
Just totally loving the exploration and not at all tired, but a little
hungry, we decided to continue North where we came upon a small hamlet
with a beach, kayaks and a tiny marina of private vessels. We pulled up
and quickly realized it was a private beach club, the "PMBC." The
Philips Manor Beach Club, an idyllic slice of property where residents
were picnic-ing, reading and swimming.
We
made our way back across the river to Grand View and amazingly the
weather conditions hadn't changed! It was a remarkable 3.5 hour
journey, where once again, we had collected a few choice pieces of wood
and seen parts we have never known to exist on our river. What a GREAT
Birthday!
Sunday,
August 17: Mom is visiting! We see a beautiful day on tap and we get
our gear ready, which includes loading Mom into her own kayak. Our
paddle plan is to stay very close to shore and try to scavenge
something near by. We pull out of the boat slip and one-by-one paddle
gently out onto the river, which is extremely calm today. Mom needs a
teather so we toss her a rope and off we go with about 5 feet of slack
between us. Paddling gently and carefully, we head north under the
bridge to the closest slice of beach just past the Port Authority
depot. We pull up and beach our three kayaks and begin the
beachcombing. Mom tells us she is a beachcomber from "way back" when
she lived in Wesport and hung out on Compo Beach. Immediatley we find
river glass of all shapes and sizes. As we are hanging out there, a
paddler goes by in a sea kayak. One member of our group takes off to
check him out and next thing we know they are gone down the river for a
fast paddle. Mom and I continue our combing and I toss in a fishing
line and troll off the shore for a while. As I am walking down the
beach, I notice a piece of pottery, about 5 inches in diameter, that
appears out of nowhere...it has a blue painted turtle on one side and
some orange starbursts on the other...a great find! Our paddling
partner returns with "Mike" and we admire his handmade sea kayak and he
is off down the river once again. One last look and we find this great
piece of driftwood shaped like a HUGE grin! It is 10 feet in length and
curved up perfectly to form a great big smile. Determined to retrieve
it, Kitty places it on her bow and paddles it back to the boat slip.
The afternoon fades into dusk as seen in the photo taken below.
Sunday,
August 10: Into the Hudson at 10:15 a.m. and another perfect day, but
word of a brewing storm by afternoon is the word... not to worry, we
disembark with plans to troll for fish and just get a great workout. We
head south into the wind and against the incoming tide. As we head
toward Piermont Pier as our initial destination we say hello to a
couple of kayakers who put in at Haverstraw, since they are not too
interested in socializing, we exchange minor pleasantries and make sure
they are aware of our web site www.artonhudson.com and continue down river.
Again,
no fish jumping on the line, but we are surprised by a 27"
shad surprising us above the surface of the water. Shad are vegetarian
and therefore this one is safe from my hook. As we round the pier, we
notice a small crowd of people doing their thing on a summer day. My
kayak partner says to me , let's head towards the cat tails along the
west bank of the Hudson. This is just south of Piermont and at the base
of Tallman Mountain State Park. "OK!" I am game, the water is high
enough to enjoy a paddle through the swampy canals that weave around
the river basin.
There is a kayak rental located nearby here, in Piermont and we see some families enjoying their afternoon with the kids.
As
we enter the canal-like water system that protects the mountain from
the Hudson, we can hear the sound of the wind playing through the cat
tails, a unique sound that almost puts me into a trance and if could
attempt meditation, this is the sound I would choose.
Wooosh......shhhhhhhhh......wooosh......shhhhhh....
It
is completely quiet back here and if it weren't for the fact that it
was broad daylight, it could be eery. We paddle slowly and smoothly and
go deeper into the swampland, following the twisting and turning river
path. There is no apparent driftwood, so we just continue our trek and
enjoy the surroundings. Suddenly, a great, Blue Heron takes flight, as
we disturb its daily routine and what a sight it is.
About
30 minutes into the trek, we are basically at the muddy, stinky,
swampy end of the trail and we can see the foot of a majestic Tallman
State Park, where we have done plenty of off-road biking over the
years. As we turn around to exit the maze of cat tails, I take a few
photos and a video clip with my cell phone camera.
As
we emerge onto the main body of the Hudson River again, we see clouds
looming and the wind is kicking up. We use the weather to our advantage
and just sail back to the base of the Tappan Zee. Round trip, the trek
took us hours, just what the doctor ordered for another great adventure
with Art on Hudson.
Saturday,
August 9: Today we took off into the water at 11:00 am, an absolutely
perfect summer day. The air temperature about 80 degrees F and the
water temperature not far behind. There was a slight north wind and the
tide was still going out. The water conditions made for an enjoyable
and mellow paddle. Almost immediately we see two paddlers coming
towards us, heading south..."where did ya put in?" ..."Memorial Park"
was their answer, in Nyack. A cool place to enter the water if you need
a place to launch.
Today, I decided to pack a fishing pole. I set the line and proceed to troll and paddle, only because I am ADD
and need a LOT going on at once. About the only thing I catch is some
seaweed, no fishies today. Since my paddling partner is ensconced with
work on the cell and pda, I figure I will just make a few casts and
enjoy the sun today. No scavenging in site, just a laid back day,
enjoying the calm of the river and the complete seclusion this area of
the Hudson provides. I ask: "where is everybody?!" and still cannot
figure it out, since everyone is on a "staycation" this summer.
The
mystery remains and hell, I am just as happy because who needs a crowd,
when you have something that is virtually free, fun and healthy! Below,
is a photo of a wild duck taking a snooze amongst some driftwood on a
beach I pass in my kayak today.
Friday, July 25: We
are on the Cape for a long weekend. No kayaks, just bikes and
beachcombing. As we settle into our rental located above "Flyers" Boat
Basin, we enjoy a cup of coffee on the deck overlooking Provincetown
bay. The tip of the Cape is within view and the tide is gracefully
edging out, exposing what is to become a treasure trove of beachcombing
that we have never seen the likes of before! In all the years I have
vacationed on Cape Cod, approximately 33 years, I never knew about the apothecary...!
Back
to the morning coffee on the deck. I am scanning the landscape below
and I see someone literally digging a huge hole in the sand next to the
pilings on the beach below. Now, I have done plenty of clamming on this
stretch of beach and come back with huge cherrystones to make chowder
and entertain my friends, but somehow I get the impression that this
person is not digging for clams, because she isn't moving around, no
clams appear and she is methodically just digging DOWN.
Curiosity
got the best of us and we wandered down to the beach to see what was
cookin' and yes, we discovered that "Debbie" was beachcombing for
buried stuff. She tells us that there was once an apothecary situated
right where she is digging and back in the early 19th century they
dumped old bottles there. It took us about 2 minutes to activate our
strategy to join in....we jump on our bikes and get to the store to
purchase some essential supplies including; rubber gloves, a shovel and
a cooler used as a collection bucket.
We
spend the next three hours digging and finding the most amazing peices
of cracked pottery, china, apothecary bottle necks, sea glass beyond
our imagination and even an Indian Head penny dated 1903!
We
were so exhausted after one session we couldn't even imagine going back
too soon and we had some great finds to take home. A day passed and
again, we saw Debbie digging...we had to go back! It was like the
mystery of the buried vault containing 'who knows what' was beckoning
us now.
Soon
we are digging again and as the hole gets deeper, the sea water fills
in and loosens objects for the taking. We come up with a variety of
colored china, more bottle necks, a large piece of a crock with the
handle still in tact, and more. Interestingly, a few people wander by
and watch inquisitively. Notably, we meet two local artists, one with a
gallery on Commercial Street, both, we learn, frequent this piece of
the beach for the very same reason.
Ultimately,
we returned home with half a cooler full of buried treasures which will
be put to great use as we continue to create pieces of art with
driftwood and more! I would rate this as one of the single most
exciting discoveries for the Art on Hudson crew and it was all FREE!
Saturday morning, July 18: The paddle began at 7:00
a.m. It was going to be a scorcher and we wanted to try a new spot
across the river, just south of the Tappan Zee. It was a slack tide
and we paddled south on a diagonal. On the way, about half way across
the river, a bottle was spotted bobbing in and out of the waves. Could
it be a message? When I reached for it I could see there was no message
but interestingly it was half full of a golden-colored liquid, Reposado
Tequila with a very tight cork...it was completely sealed! Into the
hold it goes and the trip resumes. As we reach the other side, we spot
a beach, we pull up on shore, secure the kayaks and start to hunt for
WHATEVER!
As
I transverse the rocks I come upon a rather large pile of debris,
driftwood, rope, nets, you name it. Voila, I find a huge and stunning
piece of wood, looks like cherry, curving and lots of
striations...problem is it is so heavy I think it will sink my kayak.
Placing it on the bow, the kayak sinks into the water at least 6
inches... NO GO. I paddle it back to shore and hoof it up the path
finding the Irvington train stop and hide it in the brush so we can
return by car and retrieve it. Back to the other side of the river.
Latest on Irving waiting for final touch
Later
we haul over to Irvington in search of our pieces and while we are
there we get lunch at a pub called Dobledays... for some slides and a
pint. Later in the weekend we begin to clean and sand the piece now
known as "Irving" what comes to life is a Hippotomus. See the beginning
stages as we take Irving to the next level..and another day in the life
of Art on Hudson!
4th of July Weekend
was the BEST! Where do I begin? It wasn't about the weather which was
iffy all weekend, it was about just doing it! Friday off, we checked
the tide chart and strategically went North with the tide coming in at
9:30 a.m. with high tide due at 11:56 a.m. We paddled against a north
wind and some great looking waves...2-3 ft. high. Our destination was
to go around Hook Mountain...past Nyack Beach. As we made our way along
Nyack Beach everyone was gearing up for a night of partying and
fireworks, staking out their territory with coolers and fishing poles.
As we rounded the turn, the wind was hitting us full on. We stroked and
made our way to a "beach" with tons and tons of driftwood and debris.
We found our best collection of drift wood to date. All kinds of shapes
and sizes. One looked like a gazell's horns or tusks and we packed all
the pieces on the kayaks under the bungees and started back. It was
beautiful, we could see Croton-on-Hudson now far off and some
Brazilians were busy partying in a makeshift campsite when they caught
their first fish of the day, it took their mind off things as they
gaped and exclaimed about the snapper blue, which probably ended up
being lunch. We kind of hung out for the tide to turn and magically, we
were carried back by the now evident outgoing tide and a semi-strong
North wind. The sky was clearing and eventually the wind died down, we
were becoming linguini as we approached Nyack. We knew we had very
little way to go and somehow a second, third and fourth wind kicked in
and our 4 hour paddle was coming to a close. I was so glad to see the
boat slip I just sat there for a moment and sighed. We unpacked our
magical wood and sea glass and chilled for the rest of the day!
June 28:
We got a little rambuncious and chose to go North at about 12:00 noon
on Saturday afternoon, we knew the tide was coming in and we had a
south wind, but it was extremely humid and all we wanted to do was get
some air. Pointing north we paddled easily past the town of Nyack,
Memorial Park and the Nyack Yacht Club -- "Members Only." There was a
beach full of glass that we got chased off the week before, so of
course, it was calling us. We pulled up and found a slew of white,
clear, and green beach glass of varying shapes and sizes. I also
plucked at least 10 great pieces of wood and stuck them in the back of
the kayaks. We continued North and the wind picked up...we turned
around to campaign back along the shore and as the wind hit my face,
refreshing me on this 85+ degree day. As we went past the boat basin,
we encountered some heavy chop, tide and waves clashing at once.
Another rock 'n roll ride! As I write this on a Monday, I can still
feel the soreness in my traps from that paddle. For an hour we dodged 3
foot waves and without a spray skirt, I became dripping wet, although
it felt fantastic, I was struggling with the extra weight of the wood
and the Hudson River now accumulating in my kayak. What a workout! The
next day, I got busy with some wood and focused on some salvaged wood
planks which worked well for some fun and creative signage: "Hotel
California" and "Cowabunga Baby!" were born. Cowabunga is the name of a
Nyack work dock that I thought was particularly clever and I love the
saying. The sea glass now serves as our artonhudson.com calling card. Easy to carry and ingeniously uses recycled glass to promote our web site!
June 21: It was a picture perfect day and we decided to head across the river to the "New York" side of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The tide was going out so it was to our advantage to head East, the key was to make enough headway going north to clear the shipping channel. We didn't want to be too close to the bridge because if a barge were to come through, they wouldn't be able to see a tiny kayak. It took us about an hour to get to the other side and as we came up on the red and white lighthouse,
three foot waves were giving us hell. I spotted some fantastic wood washed up on the jetty next to the lighthouse and before I decided to make a move I checked out the chances of navigating the jetty from
the kayak.
Upon further consideration, we took the safe route and beached up on the shore. We walked along the macadam path leading to the lighthouse, and jumped down to the jetty. Here I found some great sun damaged
wood, the first of which was a piece of bleached flat board with blue traces of paint, a perfect candidate for a funky beach sign. I already decided what to paint on it: "Hotel California."
After a few more feet and collecting many interesting pieces, I made my way back to the boats. Next thing I knew we looked north and saw a storm looming. When you see any inkling of weather and you are teathered to a boat of any kind, it is a really wise idea to get clear of water and be safely on shore. My partner and I looked at oneanother and said, "holy shit we need to get to the other side before that storm hits." Off we went, through a gaggle of approximately 20 geese and their brood feeding on the algae.
The waves were now moving against us as well as the power a south wind staring to kick up and cause resistanceagainst the kayaks. This kind of paddling is intriguing to me, the adrenalin is heightening and all you can do is move your arms. Luckily we wore our spray skirts and the waves were washing over the kayak and we were rocking through the water. As we neared the shipping channel, it was all clear and I just pushed. As I looked at the top of the bridge to guage my progress, I realized that with every two strokes, I was being pulled back by three because
of the wind and tide. Now it's time to DIG and we did just that. For about an hour we kept our heads down and pulled.
As the bridge span started to come closer to the water line, I knew we were making progress. Now, it was becoming calm and we relaxed into the flow. The round trip took us 3 1/2 hours, but it was fun, exciting and rewarding. We had new pieces to work on and had a great workout to boot.
June 14: we took a kayak trip north to Nyack Beach, we hugged the coast line the entire way, it was as much fun as I have had. The greatest thing about being in a kayak is that you can navigate where boats cannot. As you get close to the rocky beaches, you need to pull up your rudder and gingerly paddle towards your destination. In this case we closed in on private homes, yacht clubs and boat yards, all holding amazing treasures such as multi-colored river glass.
If someone comes along you just wave and say "good morning" and paddle along...I found a few small drift wood treasures and placed them under my bungee cord on the Wilderness Tsunami 12 ft. kayak that I paddle.
We stopped at Nyack Beach where we met a nice couple, artists and kayakers too! We chatted for a while and traded stories. As we paddled back to our place we noticed a lot of floating debris and driftwood. As we closed in on our final destination we decided to check out a choice location near the Tappan Zee Port Authority just next to the bridge.
We scored big!
Since we were so close to our place, we decided to take the plunge and literally drive a huge tree with a phenomenal root base that had been drying on shore for a while. The piece probably measured 20' in length. We pulled it into the water and maneuvered it along next to our kayaks and floated down to the boat slip. It now sits in the middle of our yard! We'll let it dry out and then we plan to mount it upside down or simply cut off the root base.
After we dried off and re-grouped, we took a ride up to Nyack for the Art Walk. We cruised all over town looking at local artists' works which ranged from photography to sculpture. It was all very good and we enjoyed meeting some new people who had the same interests we did. We will hopefully get involved next year with
Art on Hudson pieces.
Thanks for visiting, come back soon!
Charlie before...
Charlie after... 
Washed up on shore, this piece was cleaned with an electric dremmel bit, sanded, stained and shellacked. The natural grains really POP on the right! An magnificent garden sculpture.
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